What He Left Behind
by theCerulean
Summary: After becoming a vampire, the human memories become fuzzy and eventually begin to fade. But what does Edward remember of his human life? What did he forget? Edward/Bella, normal pairings, plus one original character. Romance, Drama, Family and Action.
1. Chapter 1

What He Left Behind

summary: After becoming a vampire, the human memories become fuzzy and eventually begin to fade. But what does Edward remember of his human life? What did he forget? Edward/Bella, normal pairings, plus one original character.

Chapter 1

It was another new and exciting day in the Cullen household. For me at least. Every time I woke up here still felt like a wonderful dream that picked up every night exactly where it had left of the night before. I felt a cool, granite arm draped over my waist. I rubbed my hand on the corner of my mouth, praying I hadn't drooled in my sleep, before rolling over to stare into the eyes of my own greek god.

"Morning, love. Did you sleep well?" he asked me the voice he used only when I was just waking up. I reminded me of the mornings Renee had woken me up for present-giving holidays. She always woke me with extra care on those mornings, softly so as not to make the day move faster than it had to, making the specialness of it last a little longer.

"Who doesn't sleep well next to an angel?"

"I honestly can't see how that applies to me," he stated too honestly. His eyes were smiling- he did find humor in it. But there was a great sadness in them as well. That was simply unacceptable.

I leaned forward slowly and pressed a feather-light kiss on his lips. His eyes butterscotch eyes brightened instantly. I sighed in contentment. If I had my way I would spend all day right here in this gold be with Edward, but he kept reminding me that I needed as many human memories as possible before we got, um, _married_. I was still having trouble with the thought of _me_ getting _married_. Of course, anything that ensures my time with Edward is a welcome thing, but still, the term _marriage _terrifies me.

Dad had been talked in to letting me have yet another "Girl's Night" with Alice. Really, he turned to absolute mush when it came to Alice- he just couldn't say 'no' to her. Not that I blamed him, I also struggled with telling her 'no'. She was much too persuasive for her own good. Maybe after I became beautiful and strong like the rest of the Cullens I will be able to resist her all-too-innocent vampire charm. But at the moment I seriously doubted it.

Edward evaluated my expression very carefully, probably wondering what I was thinking. Again. "Would you care for some breakfast?"

Just then my stomach growled. Ugh, sometimes I hate being human. We waste so much time eating food. Not that I didn't like food, it's just, again, I would rather be doing something with Edward rather than wasting his time with my pitiful human needs. Edward chuckled quietly. At least he wasn't repulsed by my "human-ness". Actually he told me once that he thought it was "rather adorable". I snorted at the memory. Edward eyed me curiously. I shook my head as if to tell him it was nothing.

"Can I have a human minute?"

"Of course. Breakfast will be waiting for you downstairs."

Yes, I had snagged myself the perfect vampire boy- er, _fiance_. I slid carefully out of the cocoon of gold satin sheets, my feet hitting a shock of cold wood floor. I noticed they used the heat in the winter when I was over. Now that it was summer, they started to use the air conditioning. Darn overly thoughtful vampire family! I'm sure I've cost them a fortune in their electric bills. I'll have to talk to Esme later about it. I did _not_ want them wasting money on me. I have Edward- what more do I need?

After my human minute in Edward's bathroom I followed the scent of frying bacon downstairs to the kitchen. Esme always kept the kitchen fully stocked just for me. I used to feel really guilty that she felt she had to feed me when I came over, but Edward had explained to me that Esme had always loved to cook and was overjoyed that she now had an excuse to do so regularly. And for a vampire who hadn't eaten in over eighty years, she made the most wonderful food.

As I walked into the kitchen I was bombarded with scrambled eggs, bacon, milk, homemade biscuits with warm honey and fresh strawberries- all my favorite breakfast foods laid out before me on Esme's elegant white china with silver trim. Knowing I would only be chastised if I was too polite I dug into plate of eggs and bacon almost immediately, wondering how I could not have noticed how hungry I was. But then again, who would care if they were hungry if they got to hang out all day with their gorgeous vampire bo-_fiance_?

Esme laughed quietly as she began to wash the dishes at a human pace. The first time I saw her do this I had told her she didn't need to keep up the human act around me. She had smiled and didn't say anything for a good minute or so. After my cheeks had returned to their normal colorless state she explained that she took pleasure in doing 'human' things the 'human' way- it made her appreciate life so much more, to take pride in working and still doing the little everyday things. It took me a while before I was able to appreciate what she had said and I don't think I'll ever fully understand it until I've been a vampire a while myself.

Edward was sitting next to me at the kitchen table, absentmindedly playing with my hair. It was getting so long now- it reached my waist. I made the mistake of mentioning a haircut in front of Edward one day. Well, it wasn't really 'in front' of Edward. More like I was in the bathroom trying to tame my hair while he waited for me in my room. Damn his vampire hearing! He nearly freaked out on me- he liked my hair long. He especially liked to play with it. Thinking about this and not really paying attention to what was coming out of my mouth I asked Edward if he knew how to braid hair between mouthfulls of my breakfast.

He raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow and smiled crookedly. My heart skipped a beat. "I'm pretty sure I remember how... it's one thing from my days as a human that I do remember. It's not very clear, though. Like everything else I remember it's like trying to see someone's face through a dark veil."

"Whose hair would you have braided?"

Edward had stopped playing with my hair now. Instead his hand settled gently on my waist, his free hand resting on the table. I popped a strawberry in my mouth, waiting patiently for Edward to answer. He held perfectly still like a marble statue, a frown on his perfectly chiseled lips, his brows drawn down in frustration. I knew it was hard for him to remember anything at all from his human days, but it had never seemed to upset him... until now.

I finished my breakfast in silence. As I swallowed my last bit of milk I noticed Edward close his eyes and bow his head. It was the smallest of movements. I would not have noticed it had I not been watching him so closely. I _was_ about to take my dishes to the sink, but something in Edward's expression glued me to my chair. The hand that was on the table slowly clenched into a fist. Edward's face contorted into a pained expression.

"Bella," he said softly, deliberately, "there is something... something I need to tell you."

"Okay," I said slowly. Something was bothering him, really _really _bothering him.

Before I knew what had happened I found myself in Edward's cold arms and halfway out the front door.

"I didn't put the dishes away-"

"Esme will get them."

"But..." I began, but with one look at Edward's face my words died in my throat.

He carried me to our meadow and set me down in the grass. Edward sat down next to me, cross-legged, with his hands folded beneath his chin. Again, I waited for the words to come to him. I glanced around the small clearing. It was still as beautiful as the first day we came. The grass had grown taller since last year so that now it reached my shoulders when I sat down in it. The last of the spring flowers were swaying gently in the warm breeze. I couldn't deny what a beautiful day it was. Originally we hadn't had anything planned for today, as I had given Alice full control of the wedding plans just the other day when I decided I wanted nothing more than to never see another invitation card ever again. Now I'm thinking Edward and I should just spend the day here... suddenly there were a pair of cold hands at the back of my neck. I smiled as Edward slowly gathered my hair and began to weave my locks in an out of each other. He did this very slowly, I imagine, to prolong the perfection of the moment.

"I _do_ remember how to braid hair..." he paused for a long time, as if he didn't know exactly how to say what he wanted to say. "...because I used to braid my sister's hair every day."

The second part was spoken so softly I wondered for a moment if I had only heard the wind in the trees. Edward had never said anything about having a sister, other than Rosalie and Alice. Come to think of it, we never really talked about his human life. He didn't remember much so he guessed there was never much to remember. Or at the very least nothing _important_ enough to notice in his memory.

I decided to play dumb- I might get more out of him that way. "Sister? Is there another Cullen I don't know about?" I played with a piece of grass as I listened to him.

"No, not exactly. You see, I had a little sister when I was human. She was.... thirteen, I think, when I was changed. She might have been twelve- I don't remember her _very_ clearly.... but I remember enough to know that I loved her very much."

He was partly done with my French braid now. His cold hands were weaving my hair at the nape of my neck. I was wearing a new summer dress- courtesy of Alice- that bared my shoulders. It was a white eyelet-lace strapless dress that flowed gracefully down to mid-calf. It was simple enough that I liked it and expensive enough that I argued with her tirelessly for hours when she bought it for me. I had changed my mind at the last minuted to change clothes before going out with Renee and Esme to Port Angeles for dinner one night and I walked into Alice's closet just as she was putting away my new wardrobe, the one she had bought me for the honeymoon Edward had planned for us. She was hanging up the sun dress and I told her I loved it... until I saw the price tag. It was simply outrageous. Finally she had just shoved it in Edward's closet because she didn't want a spoiled surprise in my 'honeymoon suitcase'. And today seemed like the perfect day for a little white sun dress.

"I don't remember if I told you, but I played the piano while I was human, too. I remember spending most of my afternoons teaching her how to play. Bella, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her before, but, I guess.... she was fading from my memory, like the rest of my human life has faded," he said. His voice cracked twice and he spoke with so much pain and regret. I didn't know what to do to comfort him. Usually he got like this when he was trying to convince me I didn't want to be one of the 'eternally damned' or when he argued how selfish he was for marrying me- and I could handle that, most of the time. I hated seeing him in any sort of pain, but usually I was a pretty good antidote for it, seeing as I was also the poison. But I had never seen him mourn over another person. I simply didn't know what to do.

"But I remember that she was a very quiet child. She never did speak very much. She wasn't depressed or unintelligent, but she simply... preferred to be quiet. She liked the rain... her voice sounded like rain. It was musical and soft...."

He finished braiding my hair, knotting it at the end, and placed the long plait over my shoulder. His arms encircled my waist and he leaned the side of his face into the crook of my neck. Instinctively I leaned into him and my hands covered his.

He sounded so incredibly sad. I felt horrible for bringing it up. He was in so much pain right now and I had no idea what to do. Before I knew it I felt tears forming in my eyes.

"E-Edward? I'm so sorry for bringing it up. I-I didn't know...."

"Shh, love. Of course you didn't know. I think remembering her was so painful that I pushed it out of my mind... I know we don't talk about my human life much because there isn't much to remember, but I should have at least told you about her."

"What was her name?"

His answer came so quickly I was certain that this name had been on his mind since the day he turned. "Elizabeth Anne."

I mouthed the name to myself, testing the shape of the vowels in my mouth. It was such a perfect name. I tried to picture what she would have looked like, but I was having a difficult time of it, so I asked Edward to describe her instead.

"I.... I don't really- I mean I _can't_ really... see.... it's been so long. I can't remember her face, Bella..." he managed to choke out. I turned around and took his face in my hands as I pressed my forehead to his.

"It's okay," I whispered. "It's okay."

I repeated those two words over and over and still his pain would not lessen. After a few more moments he was dry sobbing. I held him against me as best I could. How does one comfort a grieving vampire?

"Edward?"

He looked at me with mournful gold eyes.

"What happened to Elizabeth? Do you know?"

"No... I went on as if I had never even had any family at all after I was changed. I accepted my new life very quickly. But I do remember..... I remember when my father got sick- he caught the Spanish Influenza first- she was sent to live with some distant relatives outside of Chicago. The sickness hadn't spread there yet. We hoped she might have a better chance of escaping it there. Then my mother and I became ill soon afterward. I know nothing beyond that..."

"I'm so sorry, Edward..." I breathed. I had really started to cry, now.

"It's alright, love. It was a very long time ago."

He smiled and brushed his hand along the side of my face. But I knew it was still bothering him. I knew he was in agony beneath his smooth, beautiful mask. I could see plainly that he wanted to remember her face, but he couldn't because it was like trying to see a face through a black veil.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

*Elizabeth's song inspired by Yiruma's "Time Forgets..."

It had been nearly a week since our day at the meadow and Edward had returned to his normal self. But there have been moments where his thoughts have gone to a place I'm not entirely certain I wanted to follow. A place I didn't even know if was _allowed_ to follow.

I know that it upset him to think about his sister, especially since he could barely remember her. I just wish I knew how to comfort him. Every time I tried to bring up the subject he sported his "all that matters is Bella's happiness" argument. Really, I'm only happy if he's happy and I don't like it when he's not happy. There doesn't seem to be anything I can do to clear his conscience. I'm completely useless.

Right now the house was full of Cullens. Carlisle was helping Esme and Renee fill out wedding invitations- a rather tedious task I was more than happy to let someone else do. Alice was altering Rosalie's bride's maid dress. They managed to pick simple, elegantly cut dresses without too much flair. I suppose Alice saw me making a fuss over a number of dresses she already had in mind. She didn't let me see the dresses she and Rosalie would be wearing until after she had purchased them from some fancy French designer and insisted that there was no way she would return an original creation of her favorite designer. Emmet and Jasper were dueling it out on one of their high-tech game systems, staying clear of anything frilly, white, or floral. I wish I could.

I was currently resting my head on Edward's shoulder as he played my lullaby on the piano. It had really been a rather nice morning considering Alice hadn't once approached me with a new outfit as she had previously done every morning for the past three weeks. I suppose Edward must have talked to her about it. But knowing Alice means my punishment will just come later and for now, I was fine with that. She could dress me up all she wanted after the wedding.

_The wedding..._ I was quite proud of the progress I'd made in regards to being able to think words such as wedding, fiance, _wife_, _husband_, and, ahem, _honeymoon_. The more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea of marriage became. It may have had something to do with Edward's rather persuasive kisses, but I'd like to think I found this courage on my own.

Thinking about that, I kissed Edward's neck, just beneath his jaw. He smiled crookedly. Even after all this time- which really hadn't even been that long by vampire standards- that crooked smile managed to stop my heart momentarily. I sighed blissfully.

My lullaby ended softly, but he continued to play. It wasn't a piece I was familiar with. The melody was solid and sure, but very legato and very soft. Like everything Edward played, it was magnificent. But this song sounded so mournful and unusually simple for Edward. The way the notes flowed was similar to the way a lullaby would sound, only it wasn't the sort of pull that relaxed you, but one that made your eyes water. The kind that evoked a lost feeling even if you didn't know what the story behind the song was.

I looked at my angel's face. His eyes were closed. His expression was oddly, peaceful? Maybe not peaceful, but relaxed. Painfully relaxed. As if he had just accepted something that he didn't want to accept. Suddenly the song made more sense; Edward was saying _sorry_. Sorry to Elizabeth. He had written this song for her.

I wrapped my arms around his chest and rested my head in the crook of his shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt cool lips gently brush against my forehead. Well, at least he knows she's in a better place now. It's been ninety years. She probably had a good long life after her family passes.

For some reason I couldn't come up with a clear mental image of Edward's sister. I tried to come up with the exact shade of her hair or maybe the color of her eyes. Was she tall and slender like her brother or petite and willowy like Alice? Perhaps she had kept her hair up in a simple bun or let it flow around her face in soft ringlets so that she could feel it fly out in the wind. She could have been a dancer, maybe. Or she had found her match, married him, had children...

I had never thought about her much until now, listening to this tragically beautiful piece of music. Suddenly, my mind wandered to back to Edward, as it often did. The music had stopped. I sat up in his lap to look into his eyes. They were open now, but they weren't really _seeing_ anything.

"Edward?" I said, my voice barely a whisper. His eyes came back into focus. He leaned forward to kiss me softly on my lips.

He must have caught the worry in my eyes because he asked me, as he often did, what I was thinking about. I thought for a moment on whether or not my thoughts would upset him. But my resolve weakened as he played with hair behind my back, his forehead resting against my own.

"I keep trying to picture your sister in my head, but it never comes out clear."

"Bella...." his voice cracked. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. I opened my mouth to say something, but he spoke before I could. "I can't even remember her eyes."

He spoke so softly I don't think I heard all of what he said. But he didn't say any more afterwards. After a long moment of stillness, except for him twirling strands of my hair around his fingers, he picked me up and carried me to the dining room where Esme and Renee were finishing up the cards. Carlisle was in charge of printing out the addresses on every envelope.

"Hello, sweetie," said my mother. Esme smiled the smile she saves especially for me.

"Hey," I answered weakly.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at me, his pen still moving deftly over the envelope. He knew my lack of enthusiasm had nothing to do with wedding invitations. I like that Carlisle was so perceptive. It certainly made opening up discussions with him much easier as he usually knew what I wanted to talk about without forcing me to have to say it out loud. Usually when I talked to Carlisle about something, it was embarrassing. The time I went to ask him about a _vampire_ honeymoon- a discussion I had forbid Edward from attending _or_ listening to- I thought my face would turn tomato red permanently.

Before anyone was able to say something more, Alice was suddenly standing next to Edward. Thankfully my mother hadn't noticed- most of her attention was still on filling out her last invitation.

Edward stiffened beside me, giving Alice a sharp look. She nodded once.

As I watched the exchange I knew Alice must have had a vision with the implications of danger. Edward never got this serious unless my safety was involved. Instantly his expression changed as he looked back to Renee and Esme.

"Dad, what do you say about heading to Seattle today? Treat everyone to a night out? I know you have all been working so hard on the wedding." Edward flashed a warm smile to my mother.

Carlisle straightened up from over his stack of envelopes, a calm smile on his thin lips, his eyes glowing with a warmth I had only ever seen from him. I guess being a doctor gives you the ability to be warm and calm even when you know something isn't quite right.

"That sounds wonderful actually. We can get out, stretch our legs for a bit... what do you think, ladies?"

Esme and Renee agreed quickly, though I caught the questioning look Esme gave Edward and Carlisle while she and Renee gathered the finished cards in their envelopes to take to the post office. To the average observer, everything seemed _perfect_. Not a hair out of place. But I was in on the vampire secret and I knew better than to believe Edward's and Carlisle's calm facade. There was something definitely up and I was determined to find out what it was.

The minute the 'adults' packed into Carlisle's sleek black car Alice was talking too fast for me to comprehend.

"Alice!" Edward said. He didn't yell at her, but his voice held such an intensity that Alice's mouth snapped so quickly I actually heard her teeth clamp shut. It was like hearing two large pieces of steel click together with a ringing snap. "I _saw_. Alright?"

Alice nodded her head once. Edward sighed, running a hand through his already disheveled bronze locks.

"I don't understand why I couldn't see clearly.... it was all such a... such a _blur_!" said Alice, her hands placed delicately on her hips in an annoyed manner.

Rosalie appeared a few paces behind Alice a moment later. A single, perfect eyebrow was raised; both arms crossed over her chest. I assumed she was here for a face-to-face explanation of all the fuss. Emmett and Jasper followed behind her only seconds after she had appeared, their expressions expectant.

Emmett, being Emmett, was straight to the point. "What's got the two of you so worked up? Edward looks like he's about to have a stroke. You know, if it were possible for us to _have_ strokes..."

Edward sighed again, turning his back to the rest of them. Alice turned to look at them.

"Someone's coming and I can't really _see _them. It's like I'm looking through foggy glass. Their movements are quick and decisive, but so... _abrupt_. Disturbingly abrupt."

She pouted for a moment, wondering at the actions of these unclear _visitors_. "There are other vampires are coming?" I wondered aloud.

I heard Alice whisper an affirmative. Jasper spoke next.

"Are they friendly or not?"

"I'm not sure, Jazz. I don't even know what they want. I think- I am not sure- but I _think_ they're after someone. Not one of us, but someone that's in the area.... someone close by."

But if these other vampires were after someone who was already here, wouldn't Alice have seen that vampire coming first? Or were they impervious to Alice's infallible, if not subjective, visions? Perhaps they aren't a vampire. But what creature besides werewolves were unpredictable enough to evade Alice's clairvoyant gift?

"Alice, if they were after a vampire that was already here, wouldn't you have seen them first?" I asked aloud this time, in case anyone had overlooked this small detail. I'm sure they hadn't, but if someone else had brought it to their attention, maybe it meant something.

"I should have, but I didn't If they were after a werewolf I wouldn't have seen them coming anyhow- their future would have disappeared," replied Alice, calmly.

Jasper was now leaning against the door frame in a rather nonchalant manner, as if rogue vampire stopped by to visit regularly. Edward, on the other hand, was very... silent. And still.

I walked over to where Edward was standing by the dining room window. He wasn't moving at all. His face was impossibly blank, his arms hung limply at his sides, his back perfectly straight. A beautiful Greek statue of white marble. I touched is hand. He instinctively intertwined his fingers with mine and brought my hand to his lips for the softest of kisses. Suddenly his eyes were looking straight into mine with an expression so intense, so unfathomable, I felt as if it would burn a hole in my very soul.

"I will not let them near you," he promised. And he meant it. He always did.

"Dude, you're so overreacting. Again," said Emmett. And it was partly true. Usually when something goes awry Edward goes overboard ensuring my safety, though it really isn't all that necessary. Well, maybe with my bad luck it may be necessary, but for now we don't even know if these vampires are dangerous to us.

Alice spoke again. "I don't think he is. They're very difficult to see, but I can tell they mean business. They're definitely looking to kill."

Her voice was solemn; her expression grave. Rosalie's frown deepened. "So what do you suggest we do? Wait it out?"

"What else can we do, Rose? They're obviously not after us and we don't know who they _are_ after.... there's nothing we can do for now," said Emmett. Rosalie uncrossed her arms and held her husband's hand, still looking slightly annoyed. But perhaps to me she always looked that way.

Suddenly, Alice went still. Edward whipped around to face her, letting go of my hand in the process.

It felt as if minutes had passed before Alice spoke.

"We have to find her. Somehow, we have to. They'll tear her apart," said Alice. Her face carved of stone with only her lips moving. She looked positively shocked. Horrified. Within seconds her eyes refocused on Edward. "We have to find her _soon_."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_Her_? Who are you talking about, Alice? Someone we know?" prompted Jasper. The nonchalant manner had now disappeared, replaced with tense arms and a creased brow.

"I don't know who she is, I just know she's in trouble. _Deep, dark trouble_." Alice finished with a stern glance at Edward.

"Where do we look?"

Alice's answer was robotic. "North. Across the river."

"Now?"

"The sooner the better. Edward, stay here with Bella- we'll handle this."

Before I could blink, there was no one left in the house except for me and my angel. An angel who was currently very on edge. He was usually very confident in his family's ability to preserve their lives in a life-threatening situation, but this time, something was different. Alice could usually see outcomes of an event. Even if her visions were susceptible to influence, it still wasn't wise to bet against her.

Tentatively, I reached out to place a hand on Edward's tense arm. He relaxed visibly at my touch. He must have seen the "her" who Alice was talking about. When I asked him about this he said he didn't know who she was.

"The only way Alice even knew this vampire was female was from the flash of hair she saw in her vision- no male vampire I know would keep such long hair. Her face was blurred not only from running but because Alice can't seem to focus in on her. Nothing is clear at the moment..." Edward's voice strayed for a moment, but his face soon reanimated itself into a crooked smile. My heart skipped a beat, as it always does when he dazzles me. His smile broadened.

"But whatever this is, they'll take care of it."

He said this with absolute confidence as he led me to the living room to watch a movie until the others returned. I almost believed him. Almost. I knew better, I _knew_ when something was seriously wrong. What if they couldn't handle it?

I shuddered. The thought of losing even one member of my vampire family was too unbearable for me, even if it was Rosalie who was lost. I may not be her favorite person in the world and she may not be mine, but she was still- by my standards, at least- family and without her I was fairly certain Emmett would never smile again. Yes, I would mourn Rosalie forever if she were lost.

I snuggled deeper into Edward's stone chest, hoping that the closer I got to him the farther away my nonsensical fears would run. It worked for a while and I even paid attention to the movie most of the time... until I heard a violent scream break from the woods.

Edward shot up from the couch landing protectively in front of me. He stood poised for a vampire moment listening intently for some information that might tell him what was going on.

Suddenly realization hit me; it was very possible that there was _more than one vampire_. My vampires could be outmatched... No, I wouldn't think that way. I had to stay calm and strong for Edward- he looked like he was about to snap.

I trembled as the thought of losing Edward entered my mind. I let out a broken breath. "Edward...."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Bella," said Edward in a low voice. I was certain he would die before he let anything happen to me, but I wasn't prepared to face that fate alone. That's when the adrenaline kicked in and I began to hyperventilate.

Immediately Edward cradled me in his snowy arms. I faintly heard my lullaby flowing out from his lips as I was rocked back and forth.

"Shh..." he said. "It's all going to be alright."

After several minutes of rocking back and forth in Edward's arms, he went completely still. I sneaked a look up at his face to see what the matter was. He looked somewhat confused.

Looking down at me with the same confused expression he said, "They want us to come see what's happening. Alice is telling me that she- whoever _she_ is- is not dangerous."

I put on my brave face, though I'm sure I did a poor job of it. I waved off his concerned face with a bemused 'ha!' as if my courage dismissed any danger that may be near. I wanted to tell him that I laughed in the face of danger, but we all know what happened after that line in "The Lion King" so I figured it best to shrug it off.

He took a more secure hold of me before rushing out the front door. I tucked my face into the crook of his neck so that the blur of the passing trees wouldn't make me nauseous.

Not a minute after we fled the safety of the Cullen home was my nose throttled by a sickly sweet smell I knew all too well- the scent of burning vampire flesh. Edward must have smelled it as well because I noticed his chest constrict. I was sure he was no longer breathing.

I looked up when Edward stopped. I recognized the place immediately. It was the baseball clearing where the Cullens liked to play baseball. It was also the first time I had met James' deadly coven. My body gave an involuntary shudder. Edward took it the wrong way and held me closer still.

But this was a very different scene from that day. Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were all perfectly fine. As usual, there wasn't a scratch on them. Edward set me down on my feet but still kept his arms around my waist. The vampire bonfire was at the far end of the clearing. I could make out the dark figure of a female vampire in the smoke. She was too far away for my human eyes to be able to tell, but it looked to me as if her head was hung in prayer or respect for her dead comrades.

I glanced back at my vampires who stood several yards away. The guys were standing in front of Alice and Rosalie as a sort of protective barrier. But they were strangely relaxed. Still ready to pounce on a moment's notice, but the air of their various stances suggested that they weren't anticipating such an event.

Edward and I walked over to them, his eyes lingering on the dark figure shrouded in purple smoke. In a low voice he asked, "Alice?"

She nodded in response to his unspoken question. He turned his attention back to the dark figure. My human eyes strained to see as much as they could. It seemed that she had returned to a normal posture and turned to walk back to the forest. I noticed there was a leather travel bag at the base of a large tree not far from the fire. Next to it sat a large German Shepherd. He was pretty cute as far as big dogs go. He was black and tan with his large pink tongue hanging lopsidedly out of the side of his mouth. Even from this distance I could make out his large, white teeth. It almost looked as if he were grinning.

The woman, or vampire, actually, scratched the dog behind the ear and slung her bag over her shoulder in one graceful movement. The dog licked her hand appreciatively.

I noticed an unnaturally fast movement in my peripheral vision. Suddenly Alice was standing only a few yards away from the stranger. I took a step towards Alice, idly wondering if I would have the courage to put myself between her and the stranger should this other vampire decide to attack. Maybe I should worry more about the fact that I might trip before I got to her....

Alice's bell-like voice rang clearly through the air. I heard every word perfectly.

"Please, what is your name? And what were the others after?"

The stranger, whose hair was tucked into a black, newsboy hat that cast a shadow over the features of her face, successfully obscuring them, turned to face Alice. The doge barked and bounded forth on his springy legs. He stopped between Alice and the stranger and barked again. He turned his large head around to look at his master and wagged his long tail three times as if he were hopefully asking permission to go further.

When the stranger did not advance, Alice did. I could feel the tension in the air. Jasper took a few tentative steps forward. Edward positioned himself more in front of me than he had previously been. Emmett backed up to Rosalie who grasped his forearms in a manner of warning and curiosity. I took in a deep breath. Obviously the stranger wasn't bothered by me, but that may have had something to do with the too-sweet odor of burning vampire that currently occupied the air.

I could barely hear them, but I could tell that Alice and the stranger were making an exchange of some sort. Alice cocked her head to the side, asking something. Curiosity was etched into each of her movements. The stranger shrugged; the movement was nearly undetectable to my human eyes.

Keeping her head down and her face under the shadow of her had, the stranger walked forward with Alice. The dog ran happily towards us. Of course he came straight at me and Edward. I had never been particularly fond of dogs and I especially avoided large ones like this. But Edward didn't seem worried.

The Shepherd slowed to a walk before actually coming up to sniff us. Edward, his eyes still on the stranger, absentmindedly stretched out his hand for the dog to smell with his big wet nose. He soon pushed past Edward's leg and began to sniff me out from my feet on up. He seemed to like me alright. I tentatively scratched the top of his head. He was surprisingly soft. I giggled as he licked my hands appreciatively. He sat down right on top of my feet and leaned back against my leg, his nose pushing into my hand as if telling me to keep petting him. Not wanting to upset such a large animal with teeth, I complied. It was actually nice. It reminded me of Jacob and his warm russet fur.

Alice was introducing the stranger to the others. They shook hands and kept their faces neutral, but it looked to me as if they were all faintly smiling at her. I took my time of anonymity to look at her more closely. Her hands were covered in gloves with the ends of the fingers cut off. She was wearing a knee-length black pea-coat. Underneath it was a black hooded jacket and a black turtle-neck sweater. Her jeans were well fitted and dark washed, tucked into her worn black leather boots (boots with heels, of course).

Overall she looked very.... dark? No, _mysterious_. I suspected she didn't really keep company. People who dressed like this were well immersed in the craft of traveling unnoticed. There was nothing extraordinary in her clothing, but that may be why she wears them. I know better than any other human how enchantingly beautiful vampires could be. She was probably hiding a heartbreaking face under her hat.

A moment later my suspicions were confirmed as she took off her hat and out spilled magnificent waist-length locks of bronze hair.

Bronze hair the exact same shade as my Edward's messy hair. It took me a moment to process this information, but I eventually made the connection. I stole a quick glance at her face, not taking the time to process in full the shock of her beauty, and looked back at Edward.

There was no mistaking it- this was Elizabeth. Before us stood the most mysterious and painful piece of Edward's mostly forgotten past: his sister.

Edward froze a few feet in front of her. She looked at him and their eyes locked. His expression was of disbelief. Her expression mirrored his own. He reached out a hand to touch her face. If his dead body was capable of crying, I know he would have been. She shied away from his touch by a fraction of an inch.

"Elizabeth..." said Edward longingly.

She merely shook her head ever so slightly and uttered a single word, "Impossible..."

The sound of her voice sent me into a fit of- of- of....... sorrow and... something else. Her voice relaxed me in a way I had never experienced. There was truly no way to describe it.

Her voice caressed the air with tender care. It was the sound of a a thousand violins backed by a symphony of steady summer rain. Warm, comforting, mournful. There were so many feelings it evoked. She had spoken so softly.... I wanted to hear her speak again. That one word was music- I wanted to hear the song.

Her eyes grew wide as she backed away from him, a hand raised in the air as if she were unable to determine whether or not she wanted to embrace him or shove him away. My angel dropped his hand in disappointment.

They stood this way for an immeasurable amount of time. I took this opportunity to study her face. The more I looked at her, the more shocked I was to discover she was far more beautiful than any other creature I had ever seen, even Rosalie.

Her skin, even in the gray overcast light of Forks, glowed. It shimmered, even. Her lips were a deep rose pink and it looked too natural to be lipstick. They were plump enough to entice but thin enough to be considered elegant. One corner of her lips was pulled into such a contortion that I couldn't tell if she was frowning or smirking. Her face was oval-shaped but still reasonably proportioned. She had a royal brow line, much like Edward's, but softer somehow. Her face was very similar to Edward's as well, but much less angular and with a smooth jaw line that came neatly to a rounded point at her chin. Her almond-shaped onyx eyes were lined with equally dark lashes that were long and thick. I was left breathless at the sight of the soft bronze baby-ringlets of hair that framed her face. Surprisingly, her bronze hair was as messy as Edward's, but in an elegant, feminine manner.

I felt the dog lay down on my feet, but I was otherwise too occupied to really notice or care. Suddenly Edward lunged forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. She was shocked for a moment, her arms stuck out on either side of Edward, unsure of how to react just yet. Slowly her arms wrapped around her brother and she held on to him tightly, grabbing fist-fulls of his shirt. Both were dry sobbing now.

Just barely, I heard Edward whisper, "I missed you so much."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(***** means a time jump, _***** ***** *****_ means a change in point of view)

_*Elizabeth's song for Edward inspired by Yiruma's "When the Love Falls"_

We all stood absolutely still to watch the exchange between Edward and Elizabeth. Rosalie had forgotten all pretense of caution and rearranged her beautiful features into an expression of incredulity. Jasper, whose hands were resting on Alice's shoulders, was close to dry sobbing himself. Poor Jasper- the emotions must be overwhelming. Emmett was... well, there wasn't any good way to describe him. He was shocked, for sure, but there was something else in his eyes. Recognition? No, that was impossible, I was mistaking it for something else that I wasn't familiar with.

The two siblings fell to the ground as if the weight of their reunion was too much for either of them to bear. Elizabeth was leaning into Edward's chest, still clinging to him for dear life. Edward leaned his cheek on the top of her head, one hand stroking her long hair soothingly, the other was wrapped firmly around the nape of her neck. He kissed the top of her had for a long moment.

She looked up at him with her radiant face and placed her hands lovingly on either side of his face, barely touching him. It looked as if she was afraid he would disappear in a silvery smoke. His hair, messy as it was, was hanging in his eyes. She brushed his bangs out of the way while tilting her head to the side fully taking in his face for the first time.

I heard her speak again. The sound was so beautiful that I almost didn't care what she was saying, but I forced myself to pay attention.

"Why did you leave me, Edward? Where did you go?"

"I'm sorry, Lizzie. So, so sorry... I- I didn't think... I mean.... I was a monster- the thirst! I couldn't....."

Elizabeth's grip tightened around her brother's tortured face. I felt salty tears leaving warm trails down the sides of my face.

She whispered to him, barely loud enough for me to hear, "It's okay. It's okay, Ed. It's okay...."

*****

An hour later we were all back in the Cullen house, with one new addition; Elizabeth Anne Masen. She and Edward were now at the piano, talking, her leather travel bag and pea-coat forgotten by the front door. Her dog was playfully nipping at Emmett, but it seemed that my big teddy bear soon-to-be-brother-in-law wasn't in a very playful mood.

I sat on the couch with Alice and Jasper, trying not to intrude upon Edward's and Elizabeth's privacy but it was too tempting for me_ not_ to listen to Elizabeth's voice. I guessed Alice and Jasper simply wanted to know what was going on. Jasper was on the phone with Carlisle and Esme, explaining the situation but I wasn't really listening to them- I was too preoccupied with Edward and Elizabeth.

Edward was sitting on the piano bench. Elizabeth was leaning gracefully against the baby grand, her arms crossed with one elbow propped up on top of the piano's glossy black surface.

My angel's hands were poised above the ivory keys. I knew what he wanted to play for her. It was his apology for forgetting about her, for leaving her behind. I didn't know why he didn't just play it- she would understand what he was saying. But soon he removed his hands and stood up.

He caught her gaze with his eyes. He was telling her something silently. She seemed to agree to whatever he was asking because she uncrossed her arms and took Edward's seat at the keys and she began to play.

It was beautiful. Even the dog sat down and listened. It was a sad song full of longing and loneliness. It sounded like she had lost something. The melody was airy and ethereal. For the second time that day I began to cry. Her body moved with such passion as she played that the song was transformed from a story to an extension of herself that couldn't, for some reason, be expressed with words.

She slowed towards the end and stopped for a moment. Her hands were perfectly positioned above the black and ivory keys, her lavender eyelids closed. Her brow was furrowed ever so slightly. A nearly undetectable frown was tugging at the corners of her lips. Then, with overwhelming tenderness and passion, she played the last triplet of notes.

Her shoulders relaxed and her eyes opened. I took this moment to realized that her hands were also the same as Edward's with long willowy fingers, but more feminine with well manicured nails cut just barely longer than her fingers. There was a long scar on the inside of her left hand between her thumb and index finger. It disappeared beneath the sleeve of her jacket.

She turned her onyx eyes to her brother. I could quite plainly see that she desperately needed to hunt. For a moment my thoughts ran away with the possibility that she could easily turn around and sink her teeth into my warm throat that was pumping with delicious blood. But I assured myself that my vampire family wouldn't have let me so close to her if they weren't absolutely certain she wasn't a threat to me.

Slowly she stood up and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "That was the first piece of music I wrote after I was changed. While I was still human, I practiced everyday with the hope that somehow you might find me if I kept playing." Edward looked as if he could cry.

"Please, my dear sister, tell me of your life after I was gone." My angel sounded as if he was begging. There must have been hesitation on her face.

He looked so dejected standing there, his eyes overflowing with guilt. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and kiss him senseless; I wanted him to know that everything was okay. But this was too private. Turning to Alice I opened my mouth to ask if we should leave to give them some time alone. She must have already seen what I was going to ask because she scooped me up immediately and left the room with Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett close behind. The dog, however, didn't move from his position on the shaggy white rug in the middle of the living room between the couch and the love-seat.

I stretched my neck over Alice's shoulder to get one last look at my angel before I was forced way from him. Elizabeth had sighed and turned away from him, once again crossing her arms, her weight shifted to her left foot. Even from the one fleeting glance I gave her I could see there was pain in her eyes.

_***** ***** *****_

She turned away from me, a torturous pain emanating from her eyes. Surely she needed to go hunting by now, especially with Bella's tantalizing blood so close. My mind took note of my family leaving the room, Bella in Alice's petite arms. My dead heart softened for a brief moment as her mahogany hair moved with each of Alice's steps. My Bella's eyes were wide in sympathy as she watched my sister cross her arms. Tears were trailing down her pale cheeks. I was angry with myself for causing her pain. What a monster I am.

I had tried numerous times since our reunion to read her thoughts but, like my angelic Isabella, I could not. I was in too much of a shock to really care that I wasn't allowed into my own sister's mind. Really I don't think I would've have invaded her privacy in such a way even if I were able to. Elizabeth was far too precious- I wanted to hear every thought and memory of hers only if she wished to tell me.

After too long a moment (actually 684 seconds, but who was counting?) she spoke, not bothering to face me.

"Do you really want to know? It's a very long story," she said in her beautiful voice. I wondered if it had always been so beautiful, only enhanced by the venom that made us all so enchanting. Slowly, she shifted her weight so that she spun around to face me but her head was turned to the piano. It took me a second (figuratively) to recognize the emotion in her face: a refined mixture of shame and sadness.

Taking a step forward I said, "Please, _please_ tell me. I _need_ to know."

"I am afraid," she began, biting her bottom lip (a forgotten human memory was dragged up from an unknown place in my mind of a nine-year-old Elizabeth performing the same gesture).

"Yes?" I prompted.

"I am afraid you will become... angry," she finished, looking up at me. There truly was fear in her eyes. I started to shake my head at the absurdity of the idea but she stopped me with her words. "Angry with me and others. Edward, as a child you were my whole world, my _hero_. I did everything I could think of to please you. I forever sought after your approval. All I wanted then was to be the best little sister I could for the greatest big brother a person could have. But the things I've done.... there are things I've done _no one_ would be proud of. I try not to think of those parts of my past, but they haunt my every thought."

"Lizzie," I breathed, "I need to know your life. I need to feel that I _know _you. You were only twelve, thirteen when I.... _died_? Please tell me."

She sighed and let her arms fall to her side. I could see a battle within her eyes, contemplating what to tell me, or perhaps wondering where to begin. Even my breath stopped with anticipation of her words, though I didn't need the oxygen anyhow. A side seemed to have won her over as she walked to the window and sat down cross-legged on the dark wood floor. Her furry traveling companion pranced over to lie across her lap. Absentmindedly she stroked his black and tan fur.

"What is his name?"

"Sargen," she replied automatically. I raised an eyebrow in question. She looked up at me with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "I couldn't decide between Sergeant or General, so I mixed the two."

I smiled and sat down in front of her. Sargen's ears perked up and he turned his red-brown eyes to my face. My sister's lovely face was turned to the forest behind the house. The soft light caught the subtle glow of her skin- she was so much more luminous that others of our kind. I could only imagine how many men she's had to fight off..... I suppressed a growl at the thought. Again she sighed.

"I don't quite think I know where to begin," she said, earnestly.

"How about when you were changed- how old were you when that happened?"

"It was two years after I thought you had died. I was fifteen."

_Only fifteen! _She certainly didn't _look_ fifteen. Curse it all she's probably fought off every male in existence!

"Fifteen... such a short life," I commented.

"For a human, anyhow.... I know I should be grateful for the long life I've had, but...."

And then I saw it- her left hand had reached under Sargen's head to scratch behind the other ear while her right arm was draped over his back. On her ring finger was an old-fashioned engagement ring with delicately entwined strands of white gold and in the middle were two perfect off-white pearls flanking the single flawless white diamond. Without thinking I reached out for her hand and drew it close to my face. I probably only did this because a part of me couldn't really believe that it was there. She didn't protest. Instead she looked intently at the floor in a way I imagined the human Lizzie might have looked when struggling to hold back tears.

I took her hands in both of mine- her hand was noticeably more delicate than mine. I rubbed the back of her hand in what I hoped was a soothing manner.

Softly, I asked, "Who?"

"I'll get to that part in a while, but I think it _is_ a good idea to start at the beginning..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_(this chapter is told from Edward's point of view)_

I waited intently for her to begin to relate to me the story of her life- the beginning of her existence as one of the eternally damned. She took in a deep breathe and closed her eyes, dragging up past memories. Once she opened her eyes, their onyx depths as deep and as vast as the night sky, she began to speak of her life.

"You weren't there the day Mother put me on the train that was going east of Chicago- out towards where our cousins lived- you were too sick. At the time, I was thirteen and terrified of leaving you and Mother. Father's death was so hard to accept... but I prayed for the strength to keep up with life and for strength to keep up with you. It seems my prayers were answered in a very different way than I had anticipated, but I'll take it." She smiled weakly at the memory.

I was listening so intently that I didn't notice when I moved closer to her, my hands scratching Sargen's face. He was rather content to lay between two of the world's greatest predators. Before going to sleep he licked my hand with a slobbery tongue. She looked straight into my eyes as she continued, cuing an important event.

"On the train, I was placed in a car with five other people: an elderly couple leaving to visit their son and daughter-in-law, a middle-aged man with a briefcase, a young blonde woman and her five-year-old daughter. She was the cutest child I'd ever seen. Blue eyes, curly blonde ringlets tied in blue silk ribbons- she was beautiful. If you remember my shy nature you would understand that I did not possess the courage to engage in a conversation with any of these people. The elderly woman, whose name I later learned was Beatrice, placed a hand on my shoulder and kindly asked me where I was going. We spoke for a time. Thankfully I didn't have to do much of the talking. Beatrice was a very lively woman for sixty-three. Around three o'clock that afternoon, two hours after boarding, screams emitted from farther down in the cars. We had been hijacked. The bandits scoured every car for jewels, money, valuables.... women, even.

Two of the men came into our car, both carrying pistols. I recognized them from the wanted signs posted in town- escaped convicts from Texas. They tried to take the blonde woman. The moment her daughter screamed I jumped up out of my seat, completely unaware of what exactly I was getting myself into and I ordered the man to leave immediately. Of course a thirteen-year-old never thinks these sorts of things through. I had no idea what I was going to do if they didn't listen to me- which they didn't. The man turned away from the blonde woman and back-handed me. Of course, I was too shocked to notice the pain and I was frozen to the spot. The man's companion was already dragging the blonde woman to the front of the train with him. I had never been exposed to such violence or to such evil before in my short, sheltered life. I had little idea at the time that that moment on the train was but the tip of the iceberg.

I actually jumped off the train and followed the tracks to the station. It took me the rest of the day. I arrived at the station an hour or so after nightfall. Cousin Jeremy was waiting for me there with the horses. He was absolutely worried sick, the poor thing. My dress was torn and smothered in dirt and my shoes certainly weren't helping my attitude. I made it to the farm and lived quietly for several months with our relatives helping out in the barn and in the house. But as fate would have it, my quiet life would not last for much longer.

The family had decided to spend a day in Chicago. I am unable to recall now our reason for going, but whatever reason we had was unfulfilled shortly after our arrival. Jeremy and I were headed to an ice cream parlor across the street from the shop that Uncle Job, Aunt Clarissa, and cousins Matthew and Jane were perusing through. We hadn't made it but halfway through the street when a couple of men flaunting well-crafted pocket knives began to stalk us as a vulture would circle a dying animal in its last moments of life. I nudged closer to Jeremy the farther forward we walked until the men made it clear that their intention was to prevent us from getting much farther.

This is where my memories begin to cloud. I remember two of the men were had guns-"

"How many men were there?" I asked. At this point my thoughts had become completely unfiltered going out of my mouth. As she looked at me I could see a somewhat hesitant wariness in her eyes.

"There were five- all human. Greedy vagabonds of Chicago's criminal underground. The ones with guns actually were working overtime for one of the Bosses- we weren't their first victims that night. The other three were just buddies they had run into earlier that evening. The first one pointed at me and shouted to the others, 'He'll want her!' So two of them came for me, but Jeremy tried to fight them of. The second man shot him three times; once in the leg, twice in the chest. No matter how many times I go over that moment I still can't see any way that I could've saved him. I had intended to go quietly without any trouble for fear of causing harm to my dear cousin, but he acted without a second thought to protect me.... I always wondered why the man couldn't have shot me instead....

He laid there on his back with his arms spread out over the cobblestone street, blood slowly leaking from his wounds like quiet tributaries from a river. There was no spirit in his eyes. They just stared blankly up at the sky, so lifeless.... I did what any frightened girl of fourteen would do: I screamed and my body went limp. They carried me away trying to smother my violent cries. It wasn't long before they became tired of my distress and knocked me out with the handles of their guns."

She stole a glance at me to gauge my reaction. I kept my face passive, focusing my eyes on hers, trying to see into them. A fraction of a second passed before she continued.

"I awoke three days later in a well furnished room with fine bed linens and a polished mahogany closed. Immediately I could see that whoever owned the house I was in was obviously rich and in those days, rich meant powerful. A maid entered the room with a vase of hot water and a face towel. She set the vase on the night-stand and held the towel to the side of my head. The damp towel burned. I didn't understand what was going on until she pulled the towel away from me, soaked in my ruby blood. I asked her where I was. She told me I was in the Boss's house. When I asked 'Which one?' her reply was 'Boss Torrio'."

While I kept my face smooth my dead heart clenched. I knew Torrio. The man was absolute _scum_. He made his big-time living in liquor, gambling, and prostitution. I didn't even want to think of what would happen to her next, but I need to know. She continued, noting my even reaction to this information.

"I knew then that I was no longer in the city. Torrio had moved his crime to the suburban areas. It was easier to move operations to a more widespread circuit with the automobiles. He was at large in many small cities, taking hold of the fear in the hearts of small-town Americans.

The maid, Jane, dressed me and washed my hair. She explained to me that I was to be brought to one of Torrio's thugs- Barnes- who was, she said, "In charge of the women." I knew what she meant, though. Barnes was in charge of Torrio's prostitution ring. I would have run, but the house was crawling with men and I knew I didn't stand a chance against them. I faced my fate with whatever dignity a nearly fourteen-year-old girl could have.

Jane took me to Barnes's office on the first floor of the residence. He was a large man of muscular stature with slick black hair and a goatee. His eyes were a steely gray, unwavering in their cruelty. He took me by the jaw and pulled me close to his face. He... _inspected_ me closely..."

My heat constricted again and I suppressed another growl.

"He seemed... satisfied once he was through and nodded to one of the men standing my the door. The man took my arm and led me outside to the cars. He shoved me in the backseat of the nearest one and drove off. I don't know how long it took to get wherever we were going, but it seemed to take long enough that I wouldn't know where I was once we got there.

It was in another city, not as large as Chicago, but large enough for a criminal to make a decent living. When we arrived the moon was already out and only the red light districts and the bars were open. He took me to a night house. Most all the women there were much older than me- the youngest one I met was eighteen. I remember he very well. She looked after me. He name was Meagan, but I just called her Meg. She was a kind soul, full of tenderness and hope even after her two years in that detestable place...."

Lizzie seemed to trail off into her memories. She was silent for three and half minutes. I quietly wondered how long she had been forced to.... how long she'd lived in that hellhole. I couldn't bear to think of it. In my short time of rebellion against Carlisle's teachings against drinking human blood, I had killed many murderers and rapists. I fervently hoped that I killed at least one of the hundreds of men that might've laid a hand on my sister.

"My first night there was the worst. But after a while you learn to just put up with it. I was there for four months. Strangely, I was saved by a thing that had almost killed me. There was fire in the house one night from one of our guest's cigarettes. It had fallen onto the silk drapes and it spread rapidly throughout the rest of the rooms. I was on the third floor that night and the smoke had woken me up. It was so claustrophobic in that room. I ran to find Meg, but her room was already consumed in the fire. There was no way out except for the window, so I jumped.

Really I was very lucky to have only broken my arm. I was burned a bit, but that was nothing compared to the sorrow I felt for having lost my only friend who deserved nothing more than a loving home with fine things and plenty of food and a loving husband who would bring her flowers every day. She had turned nineteen only days before the fire. I cried for hours that night, but when morning came I realized that I had nowhere to go. I hadn't the faintest idea of where I was and surely no one would take the time to answer any questions from a young girl covered in soot with burns and a broken arm.

Luckily, God was watching out for me that day. I was curled up next to a hat shop, trying to sleep to ignore the pain in my arm. A woman and her two children were just about go inside when she noticed me. She was very kind to me and asked me what had happened. I explained to her about the fire and that I didn't know where I was. Without a second thought she hurried me back to her home just outside the city. It was a lovely estate. Her husband came and took the children from her care when she brought me there. He was also very kind and sympathetic to my position. After so many nights of the cruel hands of men I wasn't sure I could ever trust them again, but Mr. Jaimeson was so unlike the men I had known- he reminded me of Father.

Mrs. Jamieson cleaned me up and had a doctor come to bandage my burned flesh. She would spend hours every morning brushing out my hair with her gentle hands and hours every evening talking to me and singing me to sleep. She had a son and daughter, Charles and Alexandra. They were twins. I played games with them in the afternoon and took care of them as if they were my own brother and sister. They even had a piano that I could play and I practiced my playing faithfully every morning and evening. And I was happy there, for a time. But fate would see to it that I didn't remain so for very long.

One of the servants of the house, Margaret, I think her name was, had a boyfriend. I never knew his name, only that he was handsome and a real southern gentleman from Tennessee. I shouldn't have trusted his smile that day he walked into the study. It was a Sunday afternoon and we had just come home from church. I spent every Sunday reading in Mr. Jamieson's study and Margaret's boyfriend knew this because he spent every Sunday with Margaret. It just so happened that this particular Sunday Margaret was ill and stayed in the servant's residence with Anna, the cook, to look after her.

He came stepped through the doorway with a little knock. He smiled and said he was hoping he wasn't disturbing me. I smiled back and shook my head, completely fooled by his congenial facade. Shy as I was, I went straight back to reading my book, hoping he'd loose interest in whatever conversation he was hoping to start and leave. But he wasn't interested in conversation," she hung her head a bit lower and averted her eyes to trace the grain in the wood floor and said, "You can guess the rest."

"I finally screamed loudly enough for Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson to hear. Mr. Jamieson was furious- I didn't think he would let the man live. I was too distressed to let anyone near me for several days; days I spent locked in my room reliving the nights at the brothel. When I was finally able to leave the room I spent a whole day in the bathtub scrubbing my skin raw of all the memories that laced my body with mud and sickness. Margaret was told of what had happened. Poor girl wretched upon hearing the news. She was distraught and begged for my forgiveness for weeks. I told her I was only glad that she came out of the entire situation unharmed. And I am still glad that she was not hurt- my fate could have been hers that day.

So soon after that I was back in the city, escaping the memory of that afternoon in Mr. Jamieson's study. Of course I didn't know where I would go or what I would do. I traveled penniless for nearly a year on vast highways from Illinois to California, staying here and there at the sympathy of middle-aged women who took pity upon my fifteen-year-old self. I had seen much in my travels- stories, both glorious and horrifying, for another time.

But the last house I ever stayed at was in the woods of Oregon. A small home of an older couple, cursed to be childless, with nothing but the desire for a simple life of hard work and good deeds. They were indeed good people. Their home was older, still in run as a 19th century cabin would be run. The night I stayed there a vampire attacked. I remember every detail of that night perfectly.

He was magnificent. Hair of gold and alabaster skin that glowed in the darkness, lit only by the moon. I was his last victim that night. His lovely crimson eyes gazed upon my figure with gentleness, nearly apologetic. I was mesmerized by him. He moved with such grace.... I was sure this creature was something so lovely that I could not comprehend his existence. Slowly, ever so slowly and carefully, he walked towards me. I was trembling with apprehension. Something tole me to run while something else told me to stay and let him come to me.

He caressed my face with his marble hand of ice and leaned into me. I was so confused and yet strangely pleased when I felt his lips upon my neck. Then the fire came."

I felt my throat constrict, imagining my sister's terrified screams while this animal took life away from her. What if he hadn't stopped? Hadn't her life been terrible enough already?

"After three days I was _new_. I had such strength! I had never felt so renewed in all my life. But there was this unimaginable burn in my throat! I was sure I would die if it didn't stop. I lost my mind in the pain. I did the only thing I could rationally think of to do; I ran. I ran to the nearest city and drank my fill of blood from men, women, children, animals... It was... horrible," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Once again she became lost in her memories. The weight of her actions that day was written plainly in her eyes for me to see. There was so much pain in them. Her eyes were _so_ dark? Why hasn't she fed yet?

"It was after I realized what I had done that I became aware of what I was. I took a vow that day to never drink blood again. I haven't taken a sip of that crimson elixir since the moment I saw my reflection in a shop window with eyes as bright red as the blood I drank."

"What did you do from there, Lizzie?" I asked.

She shrugged halfheartedly and stroke Sargen's ears with a feather-light touch. She deliberated her words for a moment, then continued.

"It wasn't until the late nineteen thirties that I was able to control my thirst enough to be around humans. My years spent alone in the quiet of the woods and the wilderness were contemplative and very difficult. I sang to myself, most of the time. By 1936 I had started my long winded career as a singer in various night-clubs from city to city. Really it was very convenient; I only had to come out at night, I was paid good money, no one ever bothered me, only staying in one place for a few weeks at a time, never singing anywhere with a big name. Hotel after hotel.... it was all so surreal and at times very tiresome. I wondered how long I would live. I didn't have anyone to explain things to me- I had never met another vampire apart from the one who's venom brought me new life. Strangely enough, that same vampire appeared in a club I was singing at in New York City and he wasn't alone."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(_this chapter is told from Edward's point of view_)

"The blond one came to greet me after we closed for the evening. His companion left after a slight... altercation between them. Strangely, I was not angry with this creature with whom I should have been furious for condemning me to this abhorrent existence...

I was just leaving out the back door when he came to me. His voice far sweeter than honey and twice as smooth... He said to me, 'I remember you. I remember how you screamed....' He placed a hand on the side of my face and stared at me lovingly as he had done before he drank from my blood. 'I'm so very sorry,' he said, 'I never meant to frighten you, but I know a lonely soul when I see one. I like to think I did you a favor.' Then he kissed my forehead and left."

"What did he mean?" I said, my voice stretched thin.

"Oh, my dear brother, you knew me so well. You could read me so easily."

For a reason hidden from me, her face softened at this small recollection. She blinked twice, unnecessarily. It had begun to rain outside, turning everything into an aquamarine mist like a Monet painting. Each individual drop of water on the window was a symphony to my ears.

A few moments passed before she continued.

"He came again the next night while I was in the middle of performing _A Fine Romance_. The beautiful creature whose venom filled my body was before me once again. Even from the back of a dark room lit only by scattered candles I could see his glorious eyes of crimson glittering from the flames. With him was a companion of far greater majesty. He was _heavenly_...."

Her thoughts ran away with her at that moment. She closed her eyes and sighed woefully, the reflection of the rain running down the window upon her face made it look as if she were crying.

"My William," she said in a voice barely louder than the rain and twice as forsaken. "My _angel_..."

The agony upon her face tore apart my soul. I had never seen such suffering in my long life.

"I'v lived so long, Edward. So long and so alone....even with him. The man I loved with every bit of my shattered heart...." said my sister. Every other word came out a broken whisper, as if she was afraid to speak. Soon her words turned to nonsense. She started babbling. Sargen woke to his master's distress and sat up to lick her face dutifully. Lizzie only continued to indulge her hands into his warm fur. "Loving, sweet William. He was so gentle. His amber eyes.... They tore him apart... the flames... I can still hear his voice.... Calling my name..... It was so horrible.... so horrible.... He wasn't always good, wasn't always full of love.... but they didn't see that- they only saw _him_...."

Suddenly I was no longer in my living room with Lizzie and Sargen. I had been thrust into an alleyway in what I assumed was Italy. I saw two cloaked figures dragging away an angry blond-haired, crimson-eyed vampire. Three others were holding another male vampire of raven hair. His eyes were closed and he was screaming. Then I saw little Jane standing at the end of the alleyway. From behind me I heard a terrifying cry of pain. I turned around to see Lizzie writhing on the ground, her hair spread around her like a fairy-tale princess, her face distorted in horror. I ran to her and tried to touch her, but she was evanescent. The scene changed quickly.

I must be in Elizabeth's memory....

The next thing I saw was appalling, barbarous. It was an underground rally of vampires. There were several holding my sister's arms behind her back as she screamed uselessly, begging for the vampire's life. A large bonfire was in the middle of the floor. It was an odd sort of room with a domed ceiling, about the size of a large gymnasium, but ancient. I assumed it was underground.

I could see that one vampire had already been burned. I could even _smell_ the sickly sweet scent of burning venom. A purple haze had settled over the crowd, diffusing the light of the fire in a mesmerizing, deadly pattern alongside the many flickering shadows. Lizzie's screams were choked and dry. Then my eyes fixed upon him, the raven-haired male my sister had spoken of so fondly. He was in a drugged state. Were he human he would have appeared to be barely conscious and very hung over.

Two large male vampires had a vice-like grip on his arms. The man didn't even try to fight them. He looked _almost_ as if he _wanted_ to die. There was an indiscernible _longing_ in his eyes as he faced the dancing flames but there was also hesitance. As the the men and their prisoner moved closer to the fire I caught a glimpse of Jane's face; pleasant and childlike, a strangely smug expression glowing from her face.

I looked back at my sister as she was confined in the arms of two other vampires, confined within the cages of their unbreakable arms, prevented from tearing away to her William before he was thrown into the hungry flames with unchallenged resolution. She screamed as the fires of hell consumed the flesh of the other half of her heart and soul.

Behind Jane appeared Marcus. His papery flesh sickly iridescent in the firelight. His expression matched Jane's; smug, satisfied, sadistic, and perversely gratified. My sister's screams had not yet calmed. She was struggling to free herself from her captors, but to no avail. In her emotionally weakened state she was unable to find the strength in her indestructible body to truly fight against them. It looked more like she just wanted them to not touch her than she actually wanted to _go_ anywhere. Soon enough they released her wrists from behind her back and she collapsed pitifully to the floor. Marcus walked to her, biding his time.

He skirted the fire of vampire flesh in a horrifying phantom of arrogance. His crimson eyes glinted maliciously in the strange light as they fixed upon Elizabeth. He stopped only inches away from her limp floor that convulsed with sobs on the smooth stone floor.

"Why are you so moved by his death, _mi puttana squisito_?" Marcus spat.

My throat tightened at his blatant vulgarity. Then the scene changed again.

I was still in Volterra, at least. The room was generously spaced with high ceilings- much higher than was really necessary. There were fine drapes of velvet and silk hanging over what I assumed to be windows. No amount of light escaped them. The rugs on the floor were persian and atop the dresser to my left was an impressive collection of jewelry- diamonds, gold, sapphires, pearls, rubies, emeralds... they must have dated back to the time of the ancient Pharaohs.

Elizabeth was standing next to me her gaze intently focused on a woman sitting at her mirror brushing her long cornsilk hair. Her skin was as old and papery as Marcus' and her crimson eyes glazed over with the same milky film. At first she didn't notice us, or she didn't notice Lizzie since I wasn't really there. But as Elizabeth stepped forward the woman's hand froze in mid-stroke. Cautiously, the woman laid the brush down on the tabletop and looked at Elizabeth's reflection with curiosity, not the least bit disconcerted that someone was in her private quarters.

"_Si_, _una cucciolo_?" she said in a velvety alto voice. She raised a delicately groomed eyebrow, clearly expecting an answer.

My sister's expression was unreadable. But her words were certainly clear.

"Your husband took something from me, something very precious," said Lizzie. And suddenly an edge appeared on her lifeless expression and she was no longer my sister. The woman noticed the change and shifted in her seat, muscles tensing. "You see, your husband, _Marcus_," she spat the name with such incredible malice, "murdered the other half of my heart. His name was William and he didn't deserve to die, but your _Marcus_ deserves to be punished." And then the woman's life was dismembered, tortured, and burned before my eyes.

The next memories were a series of crimes she had committed; all murders. Human after human; vampire after vampire. They all suffered by her hands, the hands that were once so loving and gentle, now full of anger and bloodlust. She never fed, though. She _never_ drank the blood, only delighted in watching it pump out from their bodies. How cruel... how unbearable it was to watch her as she crept upon unsuspecting men and women and children and vampires alike. Each as unsuspecting as the one before. Some of them she even held hostage and tortured them with mind games telling them of her horrible past and how very much she looked forward to killing them. Some tried to escape.... others were too wrought with fear or sadness that they were unable to do anything other than cower and cry. The worst memories were of the children.

For twenty years she continued this way. Merciless. Ruthless. Inexorable. Unyielding. Purely ruled by the desire to kill in the fury of her clouded mind. In those twenty years she possessed no coherent thoughts. I saw in her eyes that she was ruled by an inescapable madness.

Suddenly the memories changed to a softer, more luminous setting than the previous scenes of brick and smoke and blood. It was late at night and she was standing on the edge of a cliff gazing out over the moonlit waters of the ocean. The waves gently clashed upon the jagged rocks below. Far away there was a symphony of cicadas. It was midsummer, wherever this place was.

I walked to her, noticing that if she were to shift her weight by the slightest thousandth of a centimeter she would plummet to the rocks below. My face was only inches from her right cheek. The wind blew her long bronze hair into my face. She looked so _lost_. All traces of hope had left her face.

The scene changed again, but this time I stayed in the same place, only the company had changed. William was with her this time. They were sitting on the grass a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. Elizabeth was wearing a light summer dress- ivory. Her heavenly countenance glowed ethereally under the light of the silver moon her dark hair and eyelashes enunciating her otherworldly beauty. She sat in William's lap, his arms encased around her. Her face was turned into the side of his.

They spoke softly to each other. I strained to hear their words.

"I've waited _forever_ for you..." William breathed. He began to caress the spot just under ear with light kisses. It was difficult for me to watch, but I guess now I know what it probably felt like for Charlie to see me kiss Bella. He continued down her neck for a few minutes longer before Elizabeth spoke.

"And how long, exactly, _is_ forever?"

He answered only after he finished his trail of kisses up to the very corner of her lips. "I was born into my human life in the mid 1340's. I wasn't interested in keeping up with the years at the time...." answered William absentmindedly. He hadn't even moved his lips from her skin to speak. Immediately he resumed his trail of kisses down to the base of her neck. There his kisses became more passionate. Elizabeth buried a hand in his black hair.

I had to look away now. This moment had become far too private for my eyes. I ran a hand through my hair and wandered to the edge. I only turned around when they began speaking again.

Now they were laying side by side on the grass. Elizabeth's slender arm was draped over William's chest. She buried her face in his shirt. The loving, tender expression on William's face as he looked at my sister will be engraved into my flawless memory forever. It might've been the way _I _looked at _Bella_.

"Will you..... tell me about.... your life?" she asked, the last two words were barely a whisper. Her tone was timid, unsure of his reaction.

He contemplated his answer for a moment. His brow furrowed elegantly as he twirled a strand of her bronze locks between his fingers. She waited patiently for an answer. Perhaps she didn't even expect one.

"I was not always as I am now. As a newborn I was like all the others, ruled entirely by primal instinct- my thirst for human blood was my entire being. My days as a youngling were before the Volturi rule..." His eyes drifted for a moment, unfocused on the world before him, then returned moments later. "There were no rules, no code of conduct or _pleasantry_. We did as we pleased; hunting when we were thirsty or bored. Taking bets, slaves, treasures. We ruled the human world with fear. That's where the legends really started."

"Started with your generation? You were the first?" probed my sister. She played with a button on his shirt. I somewhat remembered her tendency to fiddle with things when she was relaxed and deep in thought. Usually is was a strand of her hair, but it was otherwise occupied in William's loving hands.

"No, we weren't the first. No one knows exactly where or how or when or why the First One came. It wasn't until the mid 15 century that the Volturi formed- our _royal family_," he scoffed. "The Old Ones, the _First _One, emerged, _I _think in early Biblical times. Our existence merely went unnoticed and largely unrecorded until the later years of the rule of the Pharaohs. Before then no one really had a system of writing or education with which to pass on historical or innovative accounts very accurately. But I remember those days well. I killed without a second thought. Actually, I was there when King Tutankhamun was... killed," he said the word almost reluctantly. "The humans had no idea it was because a vampire sucked out his life....

Besides all that- I was monstrous. The worst you could imagine...." His face contorted in pain. The next words were but a whisper. "I was a murderer. I manipulated people for _fun_. I was merciless. My heart was nonexistent. Never did I see humans as _humans_- as more than dirt under my feet. It wasn't until March 4 1569 that I realized what I truly was. It was in the forests of Germany that day that I saw myself mirrored in the actions of another human. A man had taken his son to the woods to beat him. The child couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve. But I didn't stop the man from kicking the child who lay on the ground, broken and bleeding. I stayed nearby for a long time, watching this evil man- my only human equal.

Over the weeks I watched him as he beat his wife and son. One night, he went too far. I could not take the unhappiness any longer. It was eating away at my conscience. And when he beat that child within moments of his life I broke through the walls of the house and tore the man apart. Then when I looked back at the little boy..."

William's jaw clenched and his eyes closed. He let out a ragged breath. Elizabeth repositioned herself so that she was sitting up, a hand on the side of his face. "William..." she whispered. He opened his eyes.

"He was _so_ _afraid_ of me.... of _me_...." he dry sobbed. He opened his eyes, luminescent in the misty light.

She kissed him soundly on the lips, but he shoved her away. I jumped towards them on instinct, but reminded myself that it was only a memory- there was nothing I could do. He leapt from the ground instantly landing on his feet. He began to back away from her, the pile of bronze and white lying on the dewy grass, her face turned to him holding nothing more than love and pain.

"No!" he shouted. "No! No! _No!_ I don't deserve you! I'm a _monster_! Evil! Loathsome! Vile! Repulsive...." he turned away towards the trees, his face in his hands. "You don't deserve me, Elizabeth. You deserve _so much more_....."

"William?" she asked in her beautiful voice. He turned to face her, but he kept his eyes away from her form. Slowly, she lifted herself from the ground and walked to him like a man would approach a wild animal. With the greatest tenderness she placed both hands on either side of his face. He flinched away from her pure touch, but she held onto him. "I will _never_ want _anyone_ but _you_."

He opened his eyes to her and and whimpered.

Then the scene went black and I was returned to the living across from Elizabeth. She was crying tearlessly, burying her face in Sargen's warm fur.

It took a moment, but finally she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I-I didn't m-mean to.... I l-lost control," she said, looking at me with her mysterious eyes. Until now I wasn't sure if these dream-like apparitional memories were because of our connection as siblings or because she had a power. It seemed she possessed an ability similar to my own.

"So William was your husband?" I asked. She nodded. "Why did he have to die?"

"Even know I do not know the reason. Only that it involved a threat to the Volturi's power."

"How did you escape punishment for murdering Marcus's wife?"

"I haven't- they've just yet to find me."


End file.
